03 04 05 06 Lincoln Ls R. Side View Mirror 251855 on 2040-parts.com

Toyota & Lexus: Hybrid sales in Europe hit 20%

The ‘Green’ evangelists want to get us all driving electric cars to save the planet, but in the real world car drivers want a car that offers them all the practicality of a normal ICE car, but without the penalties of the poor range, high cost and inconvenience of an EV. So, with ever-rising fuel costs, it’s no wonder car buyers are willing to pay a little more for a car that offers better economy at the pumps – which plays straight in to the hands of Hybrid pioneers Toyota. The result is that Toyota and Lexus now see a full 20 per cent of their sale in Europe being hybrid cars in the first quarter of 2013, with sales of hybrid cars up a massive 82 per cent year-on-year.

BMW’s one-off M5 CSL (2009) – a helluva way to go

This is a one-off BMW M5 with close to 600bhp. Built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of BMW’s iconic M5 super-saloon, it’s a stripped-out lightweight special that shows what M Division could have done if it hadn’t built the X5 M and X6 M. Let’s start with the engine.

Wörthersee Tour 2011

The annual Wörthersee Tour meeting saw the VW Group wheel out a larger than usual selection of concepts to appease the flocks of GTi devotees who made the pilgrimage across to Austria for Europe’s largest VW Festival. Now in its 30th year, the Wörtherseetour meeting brings together lovers of all VW Group models. We take a look at what the OEMs offered their fans: Volkswagen Volkswagen saw fit to unveil two sporting variations of the new Golf cabriolet model.